Numerical and experimental analysis of resin flow and cure in resin injection pultrusion (RIP)

This work presents the results of modeling, numerical simulation, and experimental study of resin flow and heat transfer in the resin injection pultrusion (RIP) process. A control volume/finite element method (CV/FEM) was used to solve the flow governing equations, together with heat transfer and chemical reaction models. Resin viscosity, degree of cure, and fiber stack compressibility and permeability were measured in order to understand their influences on the process. An analytical flow model has also been developed based on the one-dimensional flow approximation for the resin flow in the injection die. A high-pressure small-taper injection die was tested with different line speeds. Experimental data were used to verify the simulation results and the analytical solutions.